Atari To Release a New Game Cartridge for Its Nearly 50 Year Old Console
‘Save Mary’ was in development for the Atari 2600 but had never come to light.
Atari rolled out its home console, the Atari 2600, in 1977, and in the ensuing years, the device became the dominant console of choice for gamers. Despite growing competition in the space, the 2600 stayed popular thanks to cult-followed games such as Pac-ManandE.T.
15 years after its debut, Atari ceased production on the 2600 in 1992. While the console itself has been out of commission for over 30 years now, a new game designed specifically for it is on the way.
Save Mary was being developed in the later years of the 2600’s run – being worked on for about two years – but the project was abandoned when Atari shelved the console altogether.
Atari has announced pre-orders for a physical cartridge of the now-completed, created by its own Tod Frye, who is known for developing the 2600 version of Pac-Man. The game challenges players, single or as a team of two, to build platforms to save a woman named Mary from falling into an abyss.
“This fantastic work from Tod Frye will keep you on your toes as you build a platform that Mary can use to escape the flooding canyon,” Atari describes the title. “Use the crane to carefully lower the different blocks and piece together a platform that Mary can safely stand on — but be careful! If you swing or drop a block carelessly, you may end up crushing poor Mary.”
Only 500 cartridges of the game are being made, priced at $60 USD. Pre-orders are open now on Atari’s website.
In other gaming news, Netflix announced its first gambling deal with Squid Game slot machines.
